Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Around the Blogs, Wednesday, November 21, 2007

  • Grits for Breakfast has the definitive post on why some folks (including those of us born and bred in OK) don't come out completely against the death penalty, which we discussed less intelligently below a few times. When you live in the states Grits and I do, you do tend to agree that there are some folks "who just need killin'." Grits explains it (and the related reasons why we give probation to murderers sometimes) much better than I ever could.
  • Psychology and Crime News has a nice review of some recent research on eyewitness testimony and memory that should once again call into question practically any verdicts based on that evidence, especially if presented by only one witness. (Along the same line, this study notes the easy manipulation of memory through photos. We really need to start adopting the evidentiary requirement for treason--two witnesses to the same act. Once again, the Forefathers were much sharper than we are.)
  • Real Cost of Prisons links us to three good pieces, one on Jim Austin's recent report on overincarceration, one on the recent NYTimes' view of our juv just system that got some attention, and one on an op-ed from Jeremy Travis on the ways historically our insistence on risk-free reentry of offenders has actually harmed our ability to reduce the risks. All good stuff in one stop.
  • Think Outside the Cage also links us to a good op-ed on our War on (Some) Drugs that notes how much the current administration has actually cut funding for some of our efforts at the same time it sends its Drug Warrior out hyping the dangers.
  • Speaking of ignoring substance abuse, Mind Hacks points us to an apparently effective program to deal with teenage drinking problems that applies study of personality types to the treatment used. Seems pretty no-brainer, but I guess that disqualifies it in the way we do things in corr sent.

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